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Saturday, February 16, 2013

SCWC: Jump Start Your Story - The Spark of Life

So, I got in to my first workshop yesterday kind of late (the badge pickup line was sort of slow >.>) But I managed to catch up. I was given a random magazine photograph of a woman, and asked to describe her in five words. Five, instantaneous words, without any real thought or consideration. Here's what I came up with:

pristine, elegant, clean, rich, refined

We were then asked to describe the person in our picture, and whether or not we would like to know them.

Looks like she would be tall; short,
dark hair, dark eyes, almost black. She is wearing a business suit.
Huge ring. She has blue accented glasses, very classy. She wears
light makeup, very natural, so she seems to only wear it for slight
enhancement rather than complete coverage (not trying to hide or recreate
her features).

I would like to know her; she looks
important. She looks like she has something important to say. She
looks like a professional. Government official (politician) or
major news anchor, or high-ranking private company official. She has
large feet—perhaps size 9 or 9.5. Mid-to-late 40s. Looks
familiar, may have seen her on TV before. She appears very
authoritative, successful. Ex-military? Well-groomed.

We were then told to come up with five more words to describe the person (which was gradually becoming a character as we played along):

Intellectual, serene, fit, organized,
adept

A scenario was proposed - this person wakes up in the middle of the night. What happens? What does she think about?

This woman is good at what she does,
and makes a lot of money at it. Well-educated, climbed up the
ladder. In the middle of the night, she wakes up and cannot go back
to sleep. She gets up, wraps a silk or satin robe/housecoat around
herself (pink, funnily enough, because she doesn't seem especially
feminine). She is alert, roams the house a bit, nudges the cat aside
with her foot as she goes to the fridge (a large stainless steel
fridge) and pulls out a carton of milk. Does she drink directly from
the carton? Yes, because despite her rigid exterior, she lets
herself break the rules in her own house despite her strict adherence
to them in the outside world.

Who worries about her?

Her husband does not worry much about
her, because she is strong and resilient. Her mother worries about
her because she crosses boundaries and uses daring strategy in her
career. Her mother is from a different era; not used to women having
such a strong sense of initiative in a career field dominated by men.

What do you imagine her name to be?

Debora.

A scene was then proposed, using the photo I was given, along with all the other photos other people in the workshop were given. We were asked to give them names/professions/relationships to each other.

Suburban neighborhood

Surgeon Nelson– loner, workaholic,
tennis-player

first wife (Joanne) and daughter (in
30s)

second wife (Beth) is in prison, tried
to murder someone (him?)

lawyer defending 2nd wife
(Peter)

mother of the lawyer (Debora)

Clare – new love interest for Nelson
(resembles his daughter in rehab)

Then we were asked to choose one of the characters and write a short scene from their point of view. I picked my photograph of "Debora."

My son, Peter, is completely inept. I
told him that it was a mistake to become a defense lawyer. We
enjoyed a brief lunch today at the pier, where we discussed his
current case. Since I am the district attorney, he has come to me to
arrange a plea deal for his client, Beth. Beth has been accused of
trying to murder her husband Nelson, a brilliant neurosurgeon.

“No,” I tell him. “No deal. She
either pleads guilty or she will receive an added ten years for her
gang association.”

“Gang affiliation can't be proven,”
Peter tells me. He seems to have forgotten that she's met all the
criteria. In fact that's why she even attempted to kill Nelson—it
was part of a gang initiation act.

–

Miscellaneous Notes

- Writing exercise for a story-starter: pull out three photos
at random from a magazine and develop plot/characters with them.

- We derive our own conclusions about
people just from looking at them, studying them. What would their
dynamics be with other people?